1. Technical Field
The embodiments relates generally to the use of conductive connections for electrically grounding a series of conductive substrates. More specifically the embodiments teach a configuration of a conductive connection that does not overly constrain relative motion between the connected conductive substrates.
2. Related Art
As electronic devices get increasingly smaller and more complex, innovative ways for cramming internal components into tighter spaces must be sought after. One way electronics manufacturers accomplish this space optimization is to stack components on top of one another. This stacking creates multiple layers of circuit boards which very commonly need to be at least grounded together. Wireless communications devices in particular can benefit when their components are electrically coupled to a grounding plane to augment antenna performance. Regardless of the grounding purpose, electrically coupling a large number of components together can be complicated given the demanding geometries seen in today's electronic devices. One known way to pass electricity from one plane to another is by means of applying conductive foam between vertically stacked layers. Unfortunately this has a number of disadvantages. First, a layer of foam can take up a significant amount of space that could otherwise be used for other components, or cooling conduits. Second, once a foam layer is applied it can substantially restrict movement between layers. Finally, it also typically requires a substantial amount of compressive force to be applied to the layer of foam to achieve a reliable connection.
Therefore, what is desired is an improved way to electrically couple vertically spaced layers closely together.